The Greatest Team The World Has Ever Seen
When talking about my football teams here thus far, I've tended to focus on Sunderland rather than Manchester United. Watching Sunderland is often quite depressing but generally you know what you're going to get. A team with a history of underachievement continuing to underachieve. Watching Manchester United has an increasingly tragic feel to it. A team who once might have genuinely claimed to be the greatest team the world has ever seen (as the chant goes) now play some of the most turgid football imaginable.
Following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, I expected a transition period. For the club to struggle to adapt to life without him. I did not expect the club's playing style to disintegrate in this fashion.
As I write this, Daniel Taylor of the Guardian has tweeted the following: All a bit joyless watching Manchester United these days. When they were losing, chasing a game, used to be most exciting sight in football.
He's absolute right. Under Ferguson, when behind, United would throw the kitchen sink at teams. There seemed to be some sort of hidden force propelling their attacks forward. When the loose ball broke at the edge of the box, it would always be met by a player in red. Manchester United would keep pushing forward, eventually irresistible.
Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United are an altogether different beast. I've just watched them draw 1-1 against a makeshift West Ham side. While not creating a great deal going forward, the main issue defensively was West Ham's height advantage catching them out at set pieces. The issue was demonstrably not addressed during the half time break as West Ham won the ball in the air from a free kick before Cheikou Kouyate was permitted to spin on the 6 yard line and turn the ball into the net.
That should have been the trigger for this side to spark a forward assault. With Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria on the pitch, they had an expensively assembled embarrassment of riches with which to do just that. What we had instead was an insipid display of misplaced passes, a lack of forward movement and a complete absence of desire. Van Gaal's only response was to throw on Marouane Fellaini to finally win some headers in the air. In injury time, Daley Blind steered an effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner for an ill deserved point.
The result leaves United having won just 3 of their 12 away matches this season and precariously positioned in relation to qualification for the Champions League. I'm increasingly feeling that Louis Van Gaal's ego is not matched by his ability as a football manager. He appears obsessed with shoehorning his players into formations that don't play to the team's strengths (be that 3-5-2 or in a "diamond" shape today that seemed as dull as coal) in a ludicrously top heavy side, Millions of pounds have been invested in this team and it continues to possess a complete lack of creativity. Mr Taylor has it right. Watching this Manchester United side is joyless.
Following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, I expected a transition period. For the club to struggle to adapt to life without him. I did not expect the club's playing style to disintegrate in this fashion.
As I write this, Daniel Taylor of the Guardian has tweeted the following: All a bit joyless watching Manchester United these days. When they were losing, chasing a game, used to be most exciting sight in football.
He's absolute right. Under Ferguson, when behind, United would throw the kitchen sink at teams. There seemed to be some sort of hidden force propelling their attacks forward. When the loose ball broke at the edge of the box, it would always be met by a player in red. Manchester United would keep pushing forward, eventually irresistible.
Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United are an altogether different beast. I've just watched them draw 1-1 against a makeshift West Ham side. While not creating a great deal going forward, the main issue defensively was West Ham's height advantage catching them out at set pieces. The issue was demonstrably not addressed during the half time break as West Ham won the ball in the air from a free kick before Cheikou Kouyate was permitted to spin on the 6 yard line and turn the ball into the net.
That should have been the trigger for this side to spark a forward assault. With Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria on the pitch, they had an expensively assembled embarrassment of riches with which to do just that. What we had instead was an insipid display of misplaced passes, a lack of forward movement and a complete absence of desire. Van Gaal's only response was to throw on Marouane Fellaini to finally win some headers in the air. In injury time, Daley Blind steered an effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner for an ill deserved point.
The result leaves United having won just 3 of their 12 away matches this season and precariously positioned in relation to qualification for the Champions League. I'm increasingly feeling that Louis Van Gaal's ego is not matched by his ability as a football manager. He appears obsessed with shoehorning his players into formations that don't play to the team's strengths (be that 3-5-2 or in a "diamond" shape today that seemed as dull as coal) in a ludicrously top heavy side, Millions of pounds have been invested in this team and it continues to possess a complete lack of creativity. Mr Taylor has it right. Watching this Manchester United side is joyless.
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